Drive Slow
by elloteenah
Summary: It's Sophie's 21st birthday and she agrees to go out with Sinead and Steph to celebrate. What will she do when someone catches her eye, is it too soon after Maddie? Slightly AU/original character/Fluff/Mild-smut.
1. Prologue

"So what are your plans for your birthday?" Steph asked, her chin rested on her hand, her elbow keeping her up on the shelf in front of Sophie who was trying to keep her focus on the checklist in her hand she needed to get done before her boss, Dev, came in.

"Steph, can't you see I'm working?" Sophie hissed.

"I can, yes," Steph smiled sweetly. Sophie rolled her eyes. Realising she wasn't going to get any work done while the olive-skinned girl was in the room, she turned around and put her clipboard on the counter then back to face her friend. Steph moved over to stand next to her and shook the brunette's shoulders.

"C'mon! You're going to be twenty-one; you have to do something big!"

"Birthday's are never good for me," Sophie said, remembering the bad string she once had.

"What makes you say that?"

Sophie cocked an eyebrow at her. "On my fourteenth, my sister got kidnapped. My sixteenth, my pastor found out about my lesbian relationship. My sister sold my family's life story to some idiot con man pretending to be a modelling agent for my seventeen, and I spent my eighteen in hospital, thinking I'll never walk again."

Steph's eyes went big. "Sorry. I didn't know that."

"Exactly," Sophie shrugged her shoulders. "So to be honest, I'd quite like my twenty-first to be a quiet one."

"You had a good birthday last year though," Steph reflected. She, Katy and Joseph went with Kevin, Jack, Sophie and Maddie to a bonfire night's firework show. Hardly as explosive as you'd think for an adult but they had fun.

"Yeah, it was different. I just don't feel like doing that this year."

"Well, I tell you what," Steph said. "You'll at least come to t'Rovers for a few, right?"

Just as Sophie went to answer, the bell on the top of the shop door rang. In walked Bethany and Sinead with grins on their faces.

"What you two talking about?" Sinead asked.

"Sophie's birthday," Steph answered instantly. "She doesn't want to do anything."

"What?!" Bethany gasped. "You have to!"

"Exactly what I said," Steph said. "I plan to go absolutely mad for mine."

"I know I'm only fourteen but my eighteenth is already planned and oh, yes, it's going to be a good'un," Bethany smirked.

Sophie smiled nervously. She didn't know Gail Platt's granddaughter very well but she recognised that sprinkle in the schoolgirl's eye, it's was the same one Rosie had before her big day and there was never a sweet get together for Rosie's birthday since she became an adult.

"I got sewing patterns. Very helpful," Sinead nodded. Steph tilted her head as if to say she was a lost soul, the innocent of the bunch. She caught it.

"But for my eighteenth, I went to some club with my college friends. Proper good it were—hey!" Sinead thought of a brilliant idea. "We should all go there. It were well friendly."

Bethany and Steph looked at each other. They liked the idea.

"You up for that, Soph? It's a shame I can't go," Bethany wondered, frowning at the thought of having to stay home. "When was the last time you went to a club?"

Sophie thought about it. It was a while ago. _Oh!_ It was when she followed Ryan and he got high off his face on speed and thought it would be funny to play chicken on the road and a car hit the brunette, causing spinal damage. Just before her eighteenth, like she had told Steph.

Since then she had avoided bars and clubs. But wasn't against a drink in the Rovers. Sophie became shy.

"C'mon, we'll protect you," Sinead nudged her shoulder.

"Maybe you'll meet someone new!" Bethany said enthusiastically.

" _Bethany_!" Sinead and Steph said at the same time through their teeth. Bethany hardly knew Maddie but she knew of the girl and what had recently happened. It was one of the benefits with having Gail for a Gran—she was friends with Sally.

Sophie was still trying to get over her. It all happened so suddenly, so unexpected. Sophie still found it hard to believe, five months on.

 _No_ , Sophie thought. _You know what? I need to get over it._

"Okay, let's go out."

"Really?" Steph checked. Sophie nodded. "Saturday it is then?"

All the girls nodded.

Whether or not it was a good idea wasn't known yet.

* * *

 **Soooo... I've had this idea floating around since it was announced Maddie was leaving... I started writing this before it was confirmed she was being killed off... so don't hate me for anything that's about to happen in this. Although Maddie is dead in this, too. I've made sure to keep it as close to the show as possible. I still haven't written every chapter so I don't know when and how often this will be updated but I am so proud of myself for attempting to write a full length novel! One Shots are my strong point. But this hit me so quickly and I started thinking what kind of girl would be best suited for Sophie after Maddie and although, this story is kind of rushed and I wouldn't want this to happen in the actual show right now, it's just what I imagined over six months ago. I don't want Sophie to move on for a long time yet.**

 **What better day to finally upload this on Sophie's birthday! Happy 21st to my favourite fave ever, I love you, do-gooder!**

 **Enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Two chapters in one night because the prologue is a short one!**

* * *

Sophie's breathing went jagged as she glanced at herself in the mirror. She quickly touched the corners of her eyes with the tips of her index fingers to stop the water gathering there before they fell and ruined her make-up. She brushed her palms down the front of her dress, smoothing out any creases. She braved a smile at her refection.

Sophie hadn't wore the dress since _that_ night. The night of the fire. The night Kal, a loving father and fiancé, was killed in a gas explosion. The same explosion that knocked her girlfriend, Maddie, backwards, causing several head trauma. Sophie stayed in the hospital overnight. She couldn't bear the thought of Maddie in the hospital by herself or not knowing what was going on. She watched Maddie lay there, motionless for hours before sleep took over. She woke up to the nurses coming in to check on her girlfriend a while later. She never let go of her hand. She couldn't, she was holding onto the little faith she had left.

If she hadn't listened to her parents and gone home to change, would Maddie still be with her? She doubted an outfit change would have made a difference but it was leaving her side for those twenty minutes could have made all the difference.

Since then, the dress had sat in the wardrobe, hidden.

It was Steph suggesting they go out that made her dig it out. She loved it so much, it was a beautiful gown, she didn't want it going to waste.

Still, it was hard to wear. She made sure she paired it with a different jacket and shoes so she didn't get flashbacks to that night.

* * *

With Kevin round Rita's for the night, having a celebration dinner with Jack—they had got some news of Jenny and her mental state and Kevin wanted to let her know how the troubled woman was doing—and Tim round the Windass' to see his granddaughter, Sally thought it would be nice to pay a visit to Sophie to see what her plans for a Saturday night were.

It surprised her when Sinead opened the door and invited her in but nowhere near to the surprise had she got when she saw Sophie sat on the floor in her dress, surrounded by make-up products and Steph fixing her hair. It was a sight she was used to seeing Rosie in. Sophie getting dolled up—as Sally called it—and going out wasn't a regular occurrence for her youngest.

It looked like it was going to be a night in alone for Sally, with a glass of wine and the latest episode of _X Factor_. She watched it for two reasons: have a good sing-song to any material she recognised and pretend she was Simon Cowell. She enjoyed a good moan and feeling like she was the boss.

"Where is it you ladies are going again?" Sally asked, sat uncomfortably on the couch of No.13 with her bag held close to her lap.

"Just to this club on Canal Street," Sinead answered.

"Ah," Sally mused. She had heard of Canal Street in the Weatherfield Gazette. She knew what it was famous for, and it showed in her tone.

""Don't worry, Mrs Webster, it's safe," Steph said before curling a final section of Sophie's hair with a pair of tongs.

"Yeah, and we won't be out late, Mum. Honest," Sophie reassured her.

"Yeah, well," Sally breathed out. "You lot behave yourselves."

Steph gasped. "We're good girls, thank you, Sally!"

"And we're spoken for," Sinead said.

Sally cocked her head. So Sinead wasn't speaking for everyone. She had Chesney and Steph had Gavin—no Andy, not Gavin. Gavin didn't exist...anymore. Sophie was the only single one and it was Sophie that Sally was worried about.

Sophie caught her Mum's body language change and spoke up before she went into one of her lectures.

"Are we ready to go in a minute?"

"Yep," Steph said after checking she had curled Sophie's lock properly before standing up and helping Sophie to her feet in the process. "Just need to grab my purse."

Sophie walked up behind Sinead and put her hand on the blonde's back. Sinead was more than capable of walking but Sophie, having been in the same position as her a couple years ago, she felt the need to make sure her friend was okay incase she needed assistance. Sinead had made massive progress since her accident at the start of the year and was able to walk for a medium amount of time before feeling uncomfortable. Her confidence was back to its usual and she felt happy to be going out, even if ishe had to use crutches but she coping with people looking at her now and took it in her stride. Chesney was so proud of her and was thrilled when she told him she was going out to a club for the night.

She pushed her to the door and Steph opened it for them, Sally behind as well.

"Well, you girls enjoy yourself," Sally smiled before wondering off towards her house.

The girls smiled at each other then headed towards Streetcars to get a taxi to take them to the club.

* * *

Finally, the young women got into the club a little after nine. It was freezing outside but the heat from the neon lights projecting throughout the building soon rose their body temperature.

They made their way through the smoke and sweaty, dancing bodies to find a table. Sophie let Sinead and Steph take the lead as she trailed behind them, trying a dodge any body that come near her.

She hadn't forgotten how uncomfortable the club scene made her. They held bad memories for her. Although there was only three occasions she had been in one, they still haunted her.

Especially her second time with Amber. Her then-girlfriend, Sian, had gone on holiday with her Mum for two weeks, leaving Sophie by herself. She threw herself into work. But that was the problem, Amber was her boss' daughter and she hung out in the shop on more than unwanted occasions. Sophie, stupidly, agreed to go out with her. She was missing Sian, she knew being at home wouldn't be any better so she agreed to it. One spiked (vodka into her orange juice) drink and annoying man trying to chat her up later and Amber had kissed her to make him leave. It worked but lead Sophie into a downward spiral. She had made the biggest mistake of her life and grew feelings for Amber, ones she couldn't even understand.

Then there was Ryan. She was only looking out for her friend who had received bad news and started drinking because of it. Sophie made sure he didn't do anything stupid and followed him into a cab and towards the nearest club. She watched him as he picked up drugs from some dealer, a couple of sniffs later and he was angry and upset, and decided to take it out on passing traffic. Sophie saved him from being ran over but suffered the consequences herself. Like Sinead, she was left with a serve back injury. She was lucky to be walking again.

So in conclusion, Sophie Webster plus nightclubs equalled bad experiences.

Sophie's body language hadn't gone unnoticed by Steph when she came back with drinks in her hands. Sinead hadn't even noticed the brunette's discomfort, she was too busy watching the groups of people dancing the night away to R'n'B classics, not resisting a head bobble herself and clapping along to the beat.

They thanked Steph for their drinks and Sophie was first to drink from hers. After, she removed the straw from her glass and chewed on it, glancing round at the scene in front of her. She wasn't comfortable at all but she was relying on the drink to loosen her up a bit.

* * *

A round of shots later, and Sophie was well and truly feeling the effects of alcohol. She had enough train of thought but she was loose enough to get up on the dance floor with Steph and Sinead. She focused on them and didn't think about anyone else round her. She had already caught a creepy man standing in the corner staring her down and made sure she didn't give him a second look. She told Steph and Sinead about him and they were sure to keep an eye on him.

Sophie agreed to get in the next round of drinks—dancing was thirsty work!

She made her way over the bar. A woman asked her where she got her dress from and she was confident and honoured to tell them before making it to talk to the bartender to get refreshments.

"Coming up!" he said, twirling around on his heel to fill three glasses.

Sophie leaned forward on her arms, waiting patiently. She turned around to check on Steph and Sinead who were happily moving to the beat of another classic. Sophie couldn't resist mouthing along to the lyrics as she turned back round to the counter.

On approach, she bashed shoulders with a stranger.

"Oops, sorry!" she quickly apologised.

"Don't worry about it," the stranger smiled at her. "This place is crowded. Hey, waiter, Strawberry Daiquiri when you're ready, I'm in a cocktail kind of mood."

"Will do, babe," he winked playfully before serving Sophie her drinks.

Sophie hadn't taken her eyes off the female next to her. She wasn't any taller than the Sophie, but the brunette was wearing heels. Stranger wasn't, she had a pair of beige suede ankle boots on, along with a blue skinny jeans and thin black formal shirt with a collar. It was untucked but all the buttons were done up to the top. She had the same haircut Frankie from The Saturdays supported at the hype of their career, that was the best way to describe it.

She had an almost flawless face. Sophie knew there was no such thing. Pump, pink lips and deep brown eyes, Sophie was in awe.

She hadn't noticed her staring until the bartender spoke. She thanked him nervously and took her order and walking away as discreetly as she could without stealing a glance back to the stranger along the way.

"You okay, Sophie? That hit looked pretty painful from over here," Sinead asked.

"Yeah," Sophie waited for her friends to take their glasses before rolling her shoulder. "It's okay."

"Is she okay?" Steph pointed over to the girl still sat at the bar.

Sophie looked over her shoulder. The stranger gave them a small smile. Sophie blushed, looking back forward.

"Oh," Steph smirked, giving Sinead a look, the blonde took the hint and nodded back. It didn't go unnoticed by Sophie but she didn't comment on it.

* * *

"You've been stealing glances all night, Soph, you'll break your neck if you keep it up," Steph mused.

"Why don't you go talk to her?" Sinead wondered, nodding, encouraging her.

"What, no!" Sophie quickly turned around.

"You're obviously invested," Steph smirked.

Sophie shook her head. "She's probably not even…"

"Gay? Pfft, please! She so is," Steph huffed a laugh. "Look at her! I have good gaydar."

 _As if that's even a thing_ , Sophie thought. She knew she didn't stand a chance. She had watched the girl talk confidently to the bar staff all night, Sophie couldn't even pluck up the courage to excuse herself a toilet break twenty minutes ago, how on earth was she going to approach a girl who oozed confidence from a distance?

Sophie had never been in the position before. Her previous relationships just _happened_. She had never met someone in a club, she didn't know how to 'chat up' someone.

On the other side, Louise was waiting for Sophie to make a move. She wasn't one to try it with anyone with a group of friends, not ones her target had sat and danced with all night. If there was moment when the brunette was alone, she may have approached her, but not while she was in a group. She didn't want to deal with rejection with an audience.

"What have you got to lose? You won't know if you don't try," Steph tried her best Dear Deirdre impression. When the Bistro was quiet, she read the odd article.

"Yeah," Sinead nodded in agreement.

Sophie looked over at her once more and bit her lip. "But it's too soon after Ma—"

"Soph, you're overthinking this too much. Don't think that far ahead and just go," Steph pushed her drink towards her. "Drink that down in one and do it."

Sophie thought about it for another second. She pressured her lips before wrapping her fingers around the glass and downing it in one. She stood up and started walking without looking at her friends.

"Yes," Steph and Sinead whispered, high-five-ing each other.

* * *

 _I walked with my head down, pushing my way through the crowds once again. It was probably for the best, anyway, I could where I was going, sure not to step in a puddle of split booze, no awkward eye contact with drunken messes, and no chance of breaking my heel. I had read the stories of the women who don't look where they're going a walk home with a limp of embarrassment._

 _I also kept my head down so the girl I was headed towards didn't notice, or at least I hope I wasn't being obvious. Stealing glances all night was so awkward. I was always terrible at hiding my feelings, I always let my mouth carry me at the worst of times but each of them worked out well, so it's not all bad. But this girl really was a stranger, I usually have a friendship or common ground with any woman I go for before pursuing it but not this one. It's almost like an instant attraction to this short-haired brunette. An attraction that was pulling me towards her._

 _And before I knew it I was face-to-face with her._

 _Turning round on the bar stool, she smiled at me. "Hi…"_

" _Hey," I mumbled, looking at her through my eyelashes. I picked at my thumbnail before sucking in a breath, ready to bite the bullet. "Would you like to dance?"_

 _What had I just done?_


	3. Chapter 2

Much to Sophie's surprise, the stranger had agreed.

"So can I put a name to a face?" Louise shouted over the music. She and Sophie were facing opposite each other, stepping side to side, and swaying their bodies slightly—their lousy attempt to dance and talk at the same time.

"I'm Sophie," the brunette answered.

"Louise," she smiled, holding her hand out. Her eyes dropped from Sophie's face down to her arms then back up. "But you can call me Lou, if you want."

Sophie found it strange a woman, who looked the same age as her, was asking her to shake her hand. Still, she did it quickly.

"Now that we've been introduced, can I get you a drink, Sophie?" she pointed towards the bar.

Sophie shook her head. "I'm good. Thank you."

Instantly, Louise was attracted to her voice. It was soft and typically Manchurian. It was the way she pronounced the end of her words; she had gotten use to the accent over the past couple of years.

She could see the brunette was shy, it was reflected in her shifty eyes. Sophie didn't accept a drink from a stranger, it never ended well for her and she feel what she had already going to her head. She didn't want to pass the point where she wasn't aware of everything around her. She had enough to have some fun.

Part of Louise told her she shouldn't continue with someone who looked uncomfortable but she wasn't one to turn down a pretty face.

"Are you okay? Do you want to sit down?" she asked, easing the air slightly, pointing over to the sofas in the corner.

"Please," Sophie swallowed.

Louise led her over to the couches at the back of the club. With the DJ playing _Uptown Funk_ , the couches are empty because everyone was up and dancing to a song no one were seemed to tire of.

"Do come here often?"

"No, I'm out of my comfort zone right now. My friends are over there," Sophie shook her head before pointing over to Steph and Sinead who were making utter fools of themselves trying to be the female versions of Bruno Mars.

"So what made you come over?" Louise asked, resting her arm on the top of their sofa, picking at the worn down material cover.

"They made me."

"What like a dare?" Louise's face dropped. She shifted uncomfortably. "Because if that's the case, put me out my misery now please."

"No! That's not what I meant, sorry. I-I thought you were cu-ho—uh," Sophie tried to breathe out and collect her words. "I just wanted to say hi. Hi."

"Hi," Louise said slowly, narrowing her eyes. "You might want to work on your chat up lines if you're looking to impress me. I didn't need to sit down for that one, you didn't knock me off my feet. Sorry."

"That wasn't my intention."

Louise shook her head in disbelief. She reached over and brushed Sophie's knee with her fingertips. "You're lucky you're cute."

Sophie blushed. She was used to complements; there was always one customer at work wolf-whistling her—if you could really class it as one. She always told them to get lost but they were typical men, they never listened. But then she didn't feel comfortable telling every one of them her sexuality. The answer "no" should be enough. So when an attractive girl said something flattering to her, she didn't know how to react. Despite knowing she was gay for five years, it still came as a surprise to her when a female wanted to talk to her. Maybe Steph's words of encouragement were what she needed.

"Hey, did you know the nightclub came about in the early nineteen-hundreds?"

Sophie shook her head. She didn't, and honestly, she didn't know why she was interested in finding out.

"They were for the working class Americans who liked to dance and socialise. It was the Seventies when they really kicked off and the Disco era. I kid you not, they became somewhere people of colour, religion and sexuality could go to and not get judged," Louise informed her. Sophie raised her eyebrows in surprise, her mouth parting slightly. Louise nodded before continuing.

"A lot of disco music is aimed at gay people without anyone realising. It brought men wearing make-up into fashion. The Nineties and Noughties started introducing hip-hop and house music as the next generation came in. Manchester was popular with Techno music in particular."

"I didn't know that," Sophie said. She listened out for the song playing by the DJ. It was Jason Derulo's _Want to Want Me_ —Sophie couldn't stand it and couldn't understand how it was still being played repeatedly half a year later. It wasn't even that good. She pointed upwards, prompting the woman opposite her to listen.

"Nowadays, we play a bit of everything because music is timeless," Louise shrugged.

Sophie understood. She relaxed more, shifting her position on the couch, she rested the side of her head on her knuckle.

"How do you know that?" she referred to the short-hair's story.

"For some silly reason, I thought it was something I should've known for an interview," Louise laughed.

"Aha," Sophie breathed out, leaning into her arm. Sophie suddenly wondered about her job. Was she high up in it? Was it something she was proud of? Was she going to be someone who stopped talking to someone who caught their eye after they learned their profession—in Sophie's case, a shop assistant? She hoped not. "What—"

Louise gasped suddenly as a new song started playing over the club. "I love this song!" she proclaimed. "Do you want to dance?"

Sophie didn't give it a second thought as Ali pulled her up from her seat and directed her over to the dance floor.

* * *

Life was moving in slow motion. The party was well and truly on as everyone was up on their feet, dancing with their friends or people they had met for the first time. Neon lights spotlighting the floor, the sound of drums blasting through the speakers. The DJ was in his element, pumping the crowd's adrenaline.

Sophie didn't take her eyes off Louise, watching her body move expertly, compared to her flimsy moves, too shy of the contact.

"Just let go," Louise leaned over and whispered, one hand on Sophie's hip.

She spun the long-haired beauty around. She crossed her arms over Sophie's torso and swayed their bodies. Sophie's hands rested on top of Louise's and she let her control their movements. Sophie leaned her head back on Louise's shoulder, the short-haired stranger breathed down her neck.

As they let the music take control of their bodies, their hips moving to the beat, suddenly nothing else mattered. Sophie forgot about her friends at the bar and let Louise's hands cup her cheeks and pull her face towards her own. She had worried for years about what those around her thought about her but tonight was going to be different. She was finally putting a stop to what people were thinking and focused on her. Although it didn't stop her crippling anxiety, she let the intoxicant do the talking.

Louise couldn't take it any longer. The rainbow lights all highlighted Sophie's skin perfectly. The girl didn't own a flaw. Her eyes were lightening grey, they were the first thing Louise noticed, and she was captivated by them. Her lips, though thin, looked beyond temping. Louise knew, just by looking at them, they would leave her weak at the knees. Even the freckle on Sophie's chin, which she could see through the makeup, was just one extra feature to admire.

With their bodies touching, Louise could smell the sweet perfume on Sophie's neck and it was driving her wild. She couldn't take it any longer.

She slowly put the brunette's face in her palms, feeling her smooth skin beneath her fingertips. Sophie closed her eyes and turned around in her arms.

Louise tilted her head and finally took Sophie's bottom lip between her two pump ones. She let them go a second later with a pop before going back in, this time dragging her bottom lip upwards. Their noses brushed and Sophie caught her own breath. She brought her hands up to Louise's hips, she held onto them, pushing her body into the short-haired girl's as they continued to embrace each other.

The heat of the club scene only added to their passionate kiss and the taste of liquor on both of their mouths, made Sophie only want more. She went to open her mouth and run her tongue along Louise's lip when Louise shockingly pulled away. She leaned in close to her ear.

"Do you... want to get out of here?" Louise asked with a hint of nerves in her voice but she didn't let it affect her. Her eyes spoke with confidence.

On the other side, Steph and Sinead had been watching them, wide eyed. They watched the scene unfolded, whispering the occasional concern to each other. They giggled at Sophie's ruthless attitude. It was a side they had never seen. Steph knew for sure the brunette would be thanking her for suggesting they go out. It was never her intention to play matchmaker but if it worked out between Sophie and the stranger, she was going to take the credit. She smiled to herself before turning around to the bar and asking for a cocktail.

Sinead continued to watch the two girls. She watched Pixie—her name for Louise seeing as she didn't actually know her actual name (she wondered if Sophie even did)—whisper into her ear. Sophie's lips instantly curving up into a smile and she nodded. Sinead smacked Steph on the arm repeatedly, prompting her to avert her attention back to the dance floor. Her jaw, too, hit the ground as she watched Pixie lead Sophie out the club by hand. Sophie's attention on her hand in Louise's, she didn't think of the friends she was leaving behind as she let Sophie take her away.

"What do we do?" Sinead panicked.

"I... I don't know," Steph replied, chewing on her thumbnail. She watched Sophie's smile as she was lead into the night sky.

Steph knew Sophie wasn't stupid to go off with a stranger. She defiantly knew the brunette wouldn't one of those girls who got involved with one night stands. Which lead Steph to think wherever Pixie was taking her friend was the stranger's doing, not Sophie's. She just hoped Sophie wasn't about to get hurt. She didn't want to run after her. Not to sound like a parent, but Steph was looking at the scene as a learning experience for the brunette, her mistake to make. Sinead agreed. Sophie had a heart of gold, she wouldn't use somebody.

* * *

Sophie wasn't thinking as Louise led her out the club, across the street and towards her apartment. Sophie removed her heels and ran, barefooted like a giddy teenager, across the cold pavement, her hand linked with the unknown, into the unknown.

Louise slammed the door behind them. She pulled Sophie towards her, bringing their lips together briefly before taking the brunette's heels from her hand and throwing them across the room. Sophie gasped. Louise brought both her hands up to cup Sophie's face, putting more desire into their kiss. Sophie placed her hands on Louise's waist as she was led towards the bedroom. They didn't break apart as Louise reached behind her and opened the door.

They entered the room. Louise made work of removing Sophie's coat from her body and kicked it to the corner of the room. She walked back, taking Sophie with her and closed the door with her back.

Her plan: let Sophie take control for a moment before she took over.

Sophie held her against the door, moving her hands up to unbutton the pixie cut's shirt, one by one, slowly, feeling the heat from her body as she did so. Removed, it met Sophie's coat. She ran her hands up Louise's curves, admiring the feel of her skin under her fingertips. She held onto the skin and thrusted her hips forwards, desperate for skin-on-skin contact. Sophie trailed her kisses down Louise's neck, smiling when she felt her body shiver. Sophie had never felt so powerful under the influence. She moved back to Louise's tempting lips.

Sophie was having an out of body experience, Stockholm Syndrome.

She let Louise push her backwards, breaking their kiss. It didn't last long. Louise laced their fingers together and met her lips again, directing her towards the bed in the process.

When she reached the end, she pushed Sophie down on it. The brunette gulped, her dizzy body hit the mattress. She looked up at Louise who leaned down and gave her a chase kiss, pulling back, she bit down on the brunette's bottom lip, taking it with her before letting go and it bounced back into placed. Sophie licked her lips.

Louise crawled over her body and Sophie fell back onto her elbows. Louise smiled proudly. She could see Sophie was breathless, powerless. Every ounce of confidence Sophie had was slowly slipping away, letting Louise takeover. Still, Sophie smiled back at her, giddy with excitement. Completely out of her comfort-zone, still blaming the alcohol, she wasn't thinking about the aftermath.

Louise brushed her cheek with Sophie, breathing down her neck. She reached behind Sophie and dragged the zip at the back of her dress down, surprising Sophie.

Sophie shifted up the bed, her dress pooling at her feet. Louise pushed it off the bed. Sophie watched it drop from the comforter. She breathed out then looked back at her companion lustfully. Louise stays where she is but leans down again to met Sophie and their mouths embrace again, unable to get enough of each other before Louise starts trailing her kisses down the length of Sophie's body. Sophie grips the pillows behind her head as Louise reached her destination.

Sophie moaned, arching her back in pleasure as Louise removed her underwear, a string of curse words falling from her lips.

Louise bit down on Sophie's inner thigh, earning a gasp from the brunette above her. She kissed the kiss before crawling back up her body and slowly slipping two fingers into her.

"Just let go," Louise whispered into Sophie's ear, curling her fingers.

Sophie's body collapsed on her. She grabbed Louise's face and kissed her passionately as she let her body go.

* * *

 **This is where the story begins. No one hate me for this. I still love Maddie very much. If this happened with Sophie in the actual show I would be fuming but bare with me. All that happens in this story are just things I want for Sophie, to develop her character.**


	4. Chapter 3

**I should really start working on getting these out quicker but I'm such a perfectionist, I keep going back and re-reading, re-writing everything. Anyway, enjoy! Thanks to those who have reviewed so far!**

* * *

Again, angrily, Kevin slammed his phone down on his desk in the garage. He tried calling Sophie for the fifth time that morning, and once again, she didn't answer.

He rang her first thing in the morning, after Jack kept asking where his big sister was constantly. The little boy was used to waking up and either going into her room and waking her up or seeing her face when he went downstairs for breakfast.

Being only five, he wasn't worried about her whereabouts. In his mind, she was at work. It was where she normally was most mornings, so he thought no different. Whereas Kevin was worried, she was his little girl. His little girl who doesn't go out to clubs and pubs very often so his mind, admittedly, was going over the worst situations possible.

Seeing Tyrone walk in with his head engrossed in his phone, Kevin asked his colleague to cover for him for five minutes.

"Cheers, Ty," he said, patting the younger man on the back before running around the corner.

He began to think what if Sophie had come in late last night and he hadn't heard because he was asleep, and she had got up early and got off to work before he woke to avoid any confrontation and embarrassment. It was a possibility.

He didn't hesitate when he approached the shop door, he pushed it open with force and stepped in, hoping to see Sophie, sound, behind the counter and getting on with a task.

Instead, he was greeted by Dev who, like Kevin, had a frustrated look on his face.

"Morning, Kev," he said, tapping his pen on the counter furiously.

"Alright, Dev? You ain't seen Soph, have ya?" Kevin asked his arms up in confusion.

"No," Dev shook his head. "I was hoping you would have. She's meant to be on shift right now."

Kevin held his hands up in defence. "I'm sorry, mate. I don't know where she is either. I've been trying to get a hold of her all morning."

"Same here," Dev huffed. "Look, if you get call, tell her I don't like having to come in on my day off."

"Right," Kevin whispered, nodding. He slowly backed towards the door again, seeing it was pointless talking anymore to Dev.

 _The man had only just come back from a three month holiday. He had left a then twenty-year-old in charge for the period of time and he_ _'_ _s complaining he has to work on his day off? The cheek_ , Kevin thought as he made his way to No.4, Sally's house. He figured if she didn't go back to No.13, she might have gone back to her Mum's out of habit.

Luckily, Kevin knew Sally was at work so he didn't have to worry about her answering and going off on one about how he should have looked out for her.

Upon knocking, Tim answered.

"You okay, Kev?"

"Not too bad, mate," Kevin clapped his hands together. "Listen, did Sophie come back here last night?"

Tim shook his head, clueless to what the dark-haired man was talking about.

"Ah," Kevin sighed. "You haven't seen her at all, no? She went out last night and I haven't seen her since."

"No. Sorry, mate," Tim shook his head again. Kevin groaned.

"I don't want to go to Sally. You know what she'll be like," he rolled his eyes.

"Can't help you there," Tim frowned. "But if I hear anything, I'll let you know."

"Okay, cheers," Kevin nodded.

His next destination was _Nick_ _'_ _s Bistro_. He knew Sophie had gone out with Steph, and she had to be working today. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her serving a customer.

"Can I get you anything, Kev?" Nick asked before the mechanic had even made it through the door. Kevin excused it and told him he was only in to talk to Steph.

"What's it about?" Steph wondered. After putting her tray on top of the bar, she turned to face him.

"Have you seen Sophie?" he said, sounding like a broken record.

Steph pondered over the thought for a moment before shaking her head. "Not since last night."

"She didn't come home with you?"

"No," Steph pursed her lips. "She went off with a gi—group of friends."

"Where did she go?"

"I don't know. She didn't say," Steph bit her lip. She avoided eye contact with him. She didn't want him to see she was making it up on the spot. Steph last memory of Sophie from last night was her and the girl, whose name she didn't know, dancing with each other before they left. But she couldn't let Kevin know that, she could see he was a man that didn't want to know about who his kids were seeing.

"Well, do you know who these friends were?" he questioned.

"Um, college friends."

"She hardly went to college."

"Well," Steph hesitated. "She said she recognised them. Maybe she wanted to see how they were, I don't know much more."

She breathed out the air she didn't even realise she was holding. She thought she had a good answer.

"Okay...," Kevin mused. He wasn't entirely convinced but it was enough for now. "Let me know if you hear anything from her, yeah?"

"Will do," Steph smiled nervously. She held it until Kevin was out of sight.

Nick had listened into the conversation, not convinced either and he was correct. Steph turned and wiped her hand over her forehead.

"You're such a liar," Nick smirked. "What's the real truth?"

Nick wasn't one for gossip but this was one piece of news he wanted in on.

"You're not going to believe it..."

* * *

Kevin had no other choice but to go to _Underworld_ next. He bumped into Chesney on his way and he told him that Sinead was out with Steph and Sophie and these supposed college friends, so she was another reason to go into the knicker factory.

"Oh, hey, Kevin. What can I interested you in?" Carla joked when he walked in.

He laughed nervously then he saw Sinead and Sally in the corner, chatting away, each with a cup of tea in their hand, clearly on their break. He pointed over to the women and Carla excused him.

"Kev, what are you doing here?" Sally asked.

"You haven't seen Sophie, have you?"

"No," Sally said. "Why, has something happened?"

"No," Kevin reassured her. "She went out last night, I can't get ahold of her, that's all."

"Well," Sally put her cup down, clearly concerned. "Did she say where she was going?"

"Steph said she met up with some friends," he shrugged then looked at Sinead. "Have you seen her?"

"Not since last night. Sorry."

 _Great_ , he groaned. That was everyone know and none of them knew where Sophie was. Now he really did start to think the worse.

* * *

Sophie whimpered, the sound of her phone going off, waking her from her slumber. She rolled onto her back and threw her arm over her eyes.

Who was calling her? No one called her in the mornings anymore.

Shit!

Had she slept through her alarm and Dev was ringing to say she was late? She was only next door, he could knock. She could hear the door from her bedroom. Although, the thought of running downstairs in her pyjamas for her boss didn't sound appealing, she was glad he didn't do that.

She didn't want to open her eyes; she had a pounding headache which was unlike her. The back of her throat burned and her mouth was dry, the sour taste of day old liquor on her tongue. Her body felt like it had ran a marathon and she hadn't stretched. She could only recall a handful of times she had felt like it before.

Shit!

She prayed her phone was around or she had no memory of when she last had it.

Now she really didn't want to get up. She had a sickening feeling in her stomach that told her she wasn't alone.

On the other side, Louise was woken by the phone. She mumbled something inaudible, even to her own ears.

Able to manage her drink better than Sophie, she knew it was her day off and what happened the night before. What she didn't know was what on earth was telling her it was morning. But she didn't care.

The phone stopped and Louise breathed a sigh of relief. The noise was annoying.

She could feel the warmth of a body next to her and, without a second thought, she turned on her side and put her arm across Sophie's waist and pulled her into her front, nuzzling her face into the brunette's neck. The tickling feel of Sophie's hair made Louise smile and she placed a kiss there.

Then it hit Sophie.

Shit!

She had danced with a girl at the club last night and agreed to go back with her.

Sophie felt guilty. The sick feeling doubling inside of her. She sat up quickly, a rush of dizziness overcame her and she put her head in her hands, rubbing her temples after making sure the cold feel of bed covers were tucked up her underarms, protecting her modesty.

Louise sat up, too, holding the quilt to her chest, suddenly very shy of her body, and moved her arm and placed her hand on Sophie's knee, concerned of her wellbeing. Sophie flinched and Louise quickly removed it and put her hands in her hands in her lap.

She watched Sophie pull the cover closer to her chest and move to the side of the bed. Her legs felt like jelly when her feet touched the ground. She reached down for the nearest piece of clothing and threw it over her her body so she didn't feel so exposed. It was Louise's crisp white shirt but she didn't care. She buttoned it up enough so it covered her before getting out and searching for her own clothes. She found her phone in her coat pocket.

"Are you okay?" Louise asked, now leaning against her headboard. She scratched her nails through her hair, nervously.

The voice sounded so foreign to Sophie's ears. Despite it was all she wanted only seven hours ago, now it made her blood run cold. She sighed. She didn't want to talk.

She found her dress and she held it tight. A wave of nausea hit her, remembering the first time she worse it. And now it held two memories. Neither should have happened.

"Sophie?"

She froze at the door. _How did she remember my name, why couldn't I remember her's?_ She was sick of this sick feeling! This was why she had relationships, not hooks-ups! Never both, just the one.

Still, she responded.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

 _Was she really still asking that? Do I look okay?_

"I don't do this," Sophie whispered. She didn't want to be honest but she knew it was better. She might as well be open and get it over with.

"What do you mean?"

Sophie groaned.

"Look, thank you for last night but it's not my thing, I'm sorry," she said in one breath. She reached for the door handle.

"Ouch," Louise mumbled. She looked down. Sophie had avoided eye contact with her anyway. The moment was just getting worse and Sophie couldn't take it any longer. She pulled the door open ajar and squeezed through the gap.

Sophie didn't waste any time in ripping the dirty shirt from her body and putting her day old underwear back on and then her filthy dress. She felt like dirt. She splashed her face with water before catching her reflection in the mirror. She hated what she looked like. It was as if a stranger was looking back at her.

She grabbed her coat and dragged her feet across the cold wooden floor of the living room. She briefly remember coming in there from the night before. How Louise had craved her body and threw her shoes across the room. The apartment was only small, Sophie knew they were somewhere. She found them next to the sofa.

She let her phone vibrated in her pocket. She put her heels on before she fished it out and saw she had missed calls from Dev and her Dad as well as texts from him and Steph. She read the top one:

 **You dirty stop out! Where are you, your Dad is worried sick!**

She shook her head, sighing frustratingly. She put her phone into her pocket before running a hand through her hair and opening the door. She slammed it behind her.

Louise flinched at the noise, her shoulders went tense. She groaned, throwing her head back onto the headboard and hitting her fist against her matters in anger. What had she just done?


	5. Chapter 4

"How dare you!"

Sophie gasped and turned around quickly. She didn't hear the front door behind her open so she was shocked to see Kevin walking towards her furiously, pointing a finger in her direction. Sophie froze against the kitchen counter as he got closer.

"I've been looking everywhere for you!" Kevin shouted. "Where on earth have you been?"

"Um," Sophie swallowed.

After making it out of Louise's apartment, Sophie did the Walk of Shame—something she never thought she would ever have to do—back to Canal Street and, from there, she phoned for a taxi. She couldn't remember much from last night but when she shot out of Louise's bed, she caught back of _Hurricanes_ from the brunette's apartment window. She easily remembered the name of the club because Steph didn't stop going on about how amazing it was on the way there. Sophie figured she could walk there and get a lift back home. The last thing she wanted was Louise seeing her.

In last night's clothes, she walked through the door of No.13 minutes after her Dad left for work, narrowly avoiding him. Instantly, she ran upstairs to get out of her dress. She jumped in the shower and threw her dirty clothes in the wash before heading downstairs, dressed in fresh grey tracksuit bottoms and a hoodie, her hair tied in a bun on top of her head.

Sophie knew she should have called Kevin back and called into work but she couldn't face the embarrassment.

"Go on, then," Kevin said sternly. "What's your excuse?"

Sophie hadn't realised she'd been too caught up in her own thoughts to respond. "Um, I stayed at a friend's."

"Oh," Kevin mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. "Yeah, Steph said something about meeting some old friends from college."

"She...she did?" Sophie stuttered then, walking slowly back towards the kitchen top, she picked up her tea of cup and bowl of cereal—she hadn't eaten since last night after all—and placed them down on the dining table before taking a seat.

"Yeah, yeah," Kevin swallowed. "I was just worried about you. You should have text me to let me know where you were."

"You're right. I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay," Kevin said. "You're an adult. I know you wouldn't go out and do something stupid anyway."

Sophie nodded slowly. She wasn't expecting his reaction. She was expecting him to blow his top. Give her a massive lecture on how she should behave and set a good example for Jack but he didn't. She was shocked he trusted her.

"Well, if you're okay, I need to be getting back to work. Tyrone's off to the hospital again."

"Is everything with Hope?" Sophie asked.

"Yeah," he rubbed the back of his neck. "She needs more chemo, poor little thing."

"I'll say a prayer for her," Sophie swallowed. It was hard for her family to watch Sally battle the disease, she couldn't imagine the pain Fiz and Tyrone were feeling with their daughter. She's the same age as Jack, it would kill her inside if it were him suffering. "Can you manage at the garage by yourself?"

"I'll have to. Luke's agreed to do overtime," he sighed. "It's the paperwork, it's getting on top of me. Ty usually does it."

"Well, if you need any help, just call, yeah?" Sophie said before taking a mouthful of cereal.

"Cheers, Soph," Kevin patted his overalls, when he felt his keys, he headed towards the door. "Are you sure you're alright here?"

"Go, go," Sophie put her hand over her mouth before waved him off. "I'll be fine."

"Okay," he resisted the urge to walk over and give her a hug. Instead he gave a small wave and put his hand over the door knob. "Oh, by the way, you might want to go see Dev. He doesn't seem too happy."

* * *

Sophie went to see Dev after her conversation with her Dad. He wasn't happy to see her, and she wasn't surprised. The two of them had a very good relationship, he helped her, and she helped him out. Dev was a massive rock to Sophie after Maddie's death, he allowed her space and time to grieve, he didn't push her into long shifts because he knew himself what it was like to lose a loved one so suddenly. But there was no excuse for her to be late now—she lived next door. He was aware it was her twenty-first birthday this week, he expected her to go out and have fun. What he didn't expect was for her to come into work, at noon, looking like she was suffering from a mild-hangover. It was unknown for Sophie Webster to have more than a couple.

There meeting went the way she had expected: he shook his head at her appearance, had a joke about what she had been up to over the weekend then they agreed she would work the afternoon to closing shift. She had two hours before she had to be in.

It was enough time to go home, freshen up and put any unnecessary thoughts to the back of her mind.

Also, it allowed her to answer the door to a very excited Steph and Sinead.

"You dirty little stop out!" Steph said, pushing Sophie out the way to make room for her to enter. Uninvited, might Sophie add.

"What are you doing here?" Sophie questioned. Steph, followed by Sinead, made themselves comfortable on the couch.

"Your Dad came in earlier, we just wanted to make sure you were okay," Sinead replied.

"I'm fine." Sophie mumbled. She joined her friends but sat on the armchair, tucking a leg under her.

"So where did you cop off to last night then? Or should I say get off?"

"Steph!" Sinead slapped Steph's arm.

Sophie swallowed hard, shifting uncomfortably. She scratched the back of her neck. "We just went back to hers... that's all."

Steph scoffed. "Lair."

Sophie hated how her friend could read her like a book. Even when they had only just started talking, she could analyse her every move. She was the one who made Sophie realise she saw Maddie as more than a pet project. For that, she had a love/hate relationship with Steph ever since.

So what if Sophie was lying? It wasn't going to change anything. She was never going to see Louise again—and she didn't want to.

For the first time in her life she was regretting sleeping with someone. It was how it happened, if it had been in a more conventional setting, she wouldn't be banging her head against a wall but knowing it was nothing more than a one night stand, had her stomach in knots.

She had always been so careful. So three wasn't a number to brag about but Sophie was a traditionalist and preferred to be in a relationship with sex, not have sex with no strings attached. Maybe it was something to do with God, she wasn't sure. She had her own beliefs and standards outside of Him.

She thought back to her first night with Sian, the morning after she had asked the blonde if she was alright with the next step but she was worried sick and fearful she wouldn't want them together again. Same with Maddie. After Jenna, Sophie thought waking up alone was a thing of the past but there she lay that morning, with the space beside her empty. She was nervous to question Maddie after everything that happened that day but it had to be done and, although it was apprehensive, Maddie admitted she didn't regret their night and they moved on from it pretty quickly.

But now, Sophie was sat with the shoe on the other foot. She couldn't even look Steph or Sinead in the eye because they knew full well what had happened without saying it.

"You've gone quiet, I'm so right!" Steph smiled with pride. "You dirty mare."

"Do you know her name?" Sinead gasped.

Sophie nodded.

"Talk, Webster," Steph grinned, leaning towards the brunette. She was going to get the truth out of her.

"There's nothing to talk about!" Sophie pulled at the sleeves of her hoody. The room was suddenly very hot.

"There's everything to talk about!"

"Steph, you can't force her!" Sinead reasoned. She could see how uncomfortable Sophie was.

"Look, it was nothing, okay?" Sophie finally answered. "I'd like to forget about it, if that's okay?"

"So you didn't _comment t'appelles_ with her?"

"What?" Sophie and Sinead said.

"What's that X-Tina and Pink song with the rappers?" Steph asked, tapping the side of her head.

"What, Lady Marmalade?" Sinead said.

"Yeah! Is that not what she says?"

"No," Sinead made a face. "I think it's _Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?_ Not _comment t'appelles_."

Steph looked at her, confused. "What did I say in english?"

"'What's you name'," Sinead answered proudly. She took A-level French in college. "The song translates to 'do you want to sleep with me tonight?'"

"Oh…," Steph coughed. "Same thing."

"Seriously, guys?" Sophie interrupted their music lesson. She glanced at the clock. She was running out of time. They apologised.

"Give me an answer then, Soph," Steph demanded.

"It's nothing!" Sophie threw her hands in the air. She really wasn't in the mood for their grilling. She stood up and made her way over to the door. "I don't want to talk about it. I never asked you to come here. You're that interested in my personal life, figure it out for yourself."

Sinead and Steph could take a hint and realised they had out stayed their welcome but not before Steph caught the blush creep upon Sophie's cheeks as she finished her sentence.

"I knew it!" she jumped, clapping her hands together.

"C'mon, Steph, it's time to go," Sinead rolled her eyes, pushing Steph towards the door.

"When I first met you, you were too scared to admit you had feelings for a girl because you hadn't know her long and know you've slept with a girl you just met! A lot can happen in a year for sure!" Steph laughed, throwing her head back. She didn't mean it negatively. She was in shock, she never expected Sophie would do such a thing.

But Sophie didn't see it like that, her blood was boiling.

"It's really none of your business," Sophie mumbled.

"Hey, I'm your best friend," Steph's voice dropped. "I'm trying to look out for you. If you want to talk, you know."

"Bye, guys," she let them out. Pushing the door shut once they had left. She didn't slam it, she couldn't. She didn't want them thinking she was mad when she was fuming. She hated herself enough, they—well, Steph—didn't need to make a joke out of it at her expense.

* * *

 **I've written so many Steph/Sophie scenes because I miss how many scenes they used to have together until it got serious with Maddie and they stopped. I want them back.**


	6. Chapter 5

Weeks passed and every night since, Sophie battled with her wondering thoughts before sleep took over about that night. Part of her wished she could go back and stop herself, another part allowed her to make the mistake. She was old enough now to understand the consequences of her actions and she was torn between being out of character and the fact it was what a lot of adults did and there was nothing wrong with it.

It was consensual. Both parties agreed so nothing illegal happened. That eased Sophie's mind. What didn't ease Sophie mind was how uncomfortable it made her feel when she thought back on that night, knowing she knew nothing about the girl she jumped into bed with.

Sophie Webster knew Louise Kane's body before she knew her heart and it didn't sit well with her. It was unlike her to do such a thing. In past relationship, it was at least a month before anything like that happened. She didn't agree with sex so early between meeting someone new. She liked to know she and the girl she was seeing were both interested in each other before it headed upstairs, she couldn't remind herself enough.

Slowly but surely she was forgetting about it and focusing on other things like spending time with her little brother and seeing her friends more often because they were forgotten about when she was in a relationship.

However there was the time, alone at work, when it was quite and she walked into the backroom that she was reminded of Maddie Heath.

As she leaned against the kitchen worktop with a cup of tea in her hand, she remembered the times the two of them would sneak into the room and talk about their future plans, holding each other in their arms.

Maddie's departure was sudden to say the least. Why would God, if he really did exist, take away her source of happiness? Why would He take a good person out of this world when there was so much evil? It made Sophie angry, she wanted to react but she knew none of it was Maddie's fault. It was an incident of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

What upset Sophie the most was remembering that week before her death, they were planning their future together. They were going to get their own place, Maddie wanted to holiday because she never had the opportunity to as a child, it was going to be Maddie and Sophie against the world but that was taken from her too soon.

What would have happened if there was no fire on Victoria Street and Maddie hadn't agreed to go home and tell Jenny? Would she still be here or would she have ran into the flats to save Amy like Kal did because although she was fond of Simon and Amy picked on him, she still would have helped her because she wanted to be the hero of the hour? Was death the faith Maddie Heath was supposed to meet at a mare eighteen years old?

Maddie was a fighter. She fought her whole life but sadly, she lost her battle fifteen hours after the explosion. Her body couldn't pull through the head trauma and Sophie found herself planning a funeral for a girlfriend would was only in the early days of her adulthood.

Sophie believed she gave Maddie the send off she deserved. It was hard but seeing how many residents of Weatherfield agreed to come filled her heart with glee. For the wake, Sophie contacted the homeless shelter where she met Maddie on that Christmas Day and a few girls agreed to come and it was nice for Sophie to catch up with them, too. The hard person to call was Ben, Maddie's little brother. Breaking the news to him was one of the hardest things Sophie would ever have to do. How does someone tell a ten-year-old, who lives hundreds of miles away, his sister has died?

It broke Sophie's heart and the send off was an emotional one. She didn't want to let go of Maddie—how could she? She avoided going back into their room for a while and moved back in with her Mum's to help her grieve but she knew she had to be strong for Maddie, she would have hated to see her cry.

Sophie wiped away the tear that fell from her eye. How embarrassing, crying at work. What if someone walked in and saw her in a state?

It happened all so quickly, and it still hurt to think about, even half a year later...

Maybe that was what was worrying Sophie so much about Louise—she saw Maddie as The One. They made future plans and the last person she did that with was Sian and it took her nearly a year to get over her and even her relationship with Jenna had a build up to it. Sophie never had one night stands.

She was grateful when she heard the bell above the door of the corner shop rang, meaning someone was coming in, meaning she didn't have to think about Maddie or Louise again for a moment.

"Ay up, chick! How's it going?" Sean said cheerily as he walked in.

Billy rolled his eyes before walking towards Sophie. "We're here for milk, Sean."

"I know," Sean spat back, headed towards the fridge area.

"He's happy because we're going somewhere other than church tonight."

"Oh, yeah," Sophie asked. "Where you off to?"

"Gay club," Sean said as he came back, he placed his pint of milk on the counter. "It's been a while; we thought we'd enjoy a night out."

"Hey, you should come with us!" Billy pointed.

Sophie held her hand out for Sean's change. "I dunno..."

"Oh, c'mon!" Sean moaned. "You should. The last time I asked you to come out with me, you bailed because you were 'tired'," he finished with air quotes.

"That was the night we met," Billy nudged Sean's shoulder. Sophie remembered. She wasn't tired at all—Kevin was out, Sophie had the house to herself with Maddie, she took advantage of that.

She suddenly frowned. She was thinking of Maddie again. _Damn it_.

"Okay, I'll come with you."

* * *

The sound loud R 'n' B music was the first thing Sophie heard when she walked into the club behind Sean and Billy, along with effect smoke and bright lights and there was the smell of alcohol in the place, all the things Sophie hated about clubbing in a nutshell.

"Billy, why don't you and Sophie go find us a spot, I'll get the first round of drinks in," Sean said, looking around the crowd of people for the bar.

* * *

It was Sophie turn to get the drinks in. Honestly, she wanted to go home. Already she had two straight men came up to her asking if she was interested in a threesome. This was a gay bar, do they not understand that almost every girl in the room was not going to be interested in getting off with a bloke? Obviously not.

She pushed past the dancers getting hot and sweaty and managed to make it to the bar.

"You alright there, love? I'll be with you in a minute," a waiter shouted over the beat of the music, he was busy putting ice in a tall glass to serve.

"I got it, Ty!" his female colleague shouted back. She turned around, a smile plastered on her lips. She moved towards to wooden top, leaning forward on it. "What can I get ya –hey! Don't I know you?"

Sophie squint her eyes. She was thinking the same thing. She recognised the short brown curly hair. Scanning her eyes down the brunette's body, Sophie stopped at the arms. The waitress was wearing a short-sleeved white shirt. She noticed the rose tattoos straight away. She caught her breath.

"I remember! You're Sophie, right?"

Sophie swallowed the lump in her throat, her feet glued to the floor. The girl standing in front of her was Louise from the other night. The words going through Sophie's mind in that moment were enough to take her to hell.

"Can I just get three vodka and cokes please?"

"Sure thing," Louise turned around and did her job. Sophie took her money out—making sure it was the right amount of change—and placed it on the bar so she avoid contact with the other female.

"How do you remember me?" Sophie asked after Louise gave her the drinks. She put the straw in her hands into one of them and started sipping on it, hoping it would calm her nerves.

"You were the cute girl from that club. I never forget a cute girl," Louise winked, picking up the money and putting it in the till.

"Do you work here?" Sophie asked slowly and Ali nodded. "Why were you at AXM the other night then?"

Louise shrugged. "Change of scenery? Check out the competition? Bit of both."

"Oh..."

"What about you? Didn't you tell me this wasn't your kind of thing?"

"I'm here with some friends," Sophie chewed on her bottom lip. She did everything she could to avoid eye contact and picked out a straw from the pot in front of her and rolled it between her fingers. "They think the experience is good for me."

"Wait, does that mean you're a baby dyke? That's not what it seemed like to me the other night," Louise leaned over, confidence gleaming in her eye. Sophie wished she had that.

She didn't understand what the curly-top brunette meant by 'baby dyke'. Was it lesbian slang that she wasn't aware of? Sophie was very much someone who lived in her own bubble. She didn't need to know the ins and outs of the community. She assumed it meant inexperienced and went with it.

"I'm not."

"So you're not straight either?"

"No," Sophie breathed out. "Look, thanks for the drinks, yeah, but I need to get back."

She smiled briefly before picking up all three drinks between her hands carefully and carrying them back over to her table.

"There she is!" Sean exclaimed, nudging Billy. "We were starting to think you had coped off with a girl already and I was saying to Billy that you're not like that," he laughed.

Sophie chuckled nervously. She picked the drinks down on the table before standing up straight.

"Guys, I'm going to go," she shouted over the music.

"But we just got here!" Sean groaned. He grabbed his drink before slumming into his seat, putting the straw in his mouth and taking a small sip. Billy rolled his eyes at his boyfriend.

"Are you sure?" Billy questioned. Sophie nodded and he didn't question it further, he could see by her body language she wasn't comfortable. "Do you want us to call you a cab?"

"No, it's okay, I can manage," Sophie waved it off.

She glanced over her shoulder and could see Louise looking at her. She looked away immediately. Giving a quick wave to Billy and Sean, she made the quickest exit out the club.


	7. Chapter 6

Louise works at _Hurricanes_.

That was it. That's all Sophie Webster had learned in the last twenty-four hours.

It wasn't breaking news. It wasn't anything bad. Honestly, it was great news. In this day and age it's tough for someone their age to get a full time job, or even a job on a zero-hour contract.

It was positive. It showed she didn't go to bed with someone who was just looking for a place to spend the night because they couldn't go back to their own for whatever reason. But Sophie couldn't think that, she realised, they had gone back to Louise's after all.

But why was she thinking about it so much? Every morning since she'd thought back to it. Like a magnetic force was telling her to analyse every second of it, weigh out the pros and cons like it was going to change her guilt. She was never going to see her again. For as longs she never went back to _Hurricanes_ or the club on Canal Street, Sophie Webster would never cross paths with Louise again. Or anywhere on Canal Street for that matter. Sophie hated clubbing, how many more times could she say it? She planned to never go to another one for as long as she lived, why she'd thought it was a good idea to go twice recently was a mystery to her.

Even on mornings like today where she was running around trying to get her little brother ready to school, in the silent moments he could get ready independently, her thoughts were filled with her. She wasn't even thinking about Maddie anymore, the more time passed, the less her beautiful girlfriend came to mind. She only came to mind when Sophie either saw something that reminded her of her or she was somewhere that held a memory. And it killed her to feel herself moving on.

"Jack!" Sophie shouted from the stairs. "Are you ready to go?"

Sophie hated being at war with herself, she did her best to stop it but sometimes it couldn't be controlled. She just had to push it to the back of her mind, she didn't need Jack seeing her hurt. She did her best around him to make out everything was okay. Even the day after Maddie died, Sophie had to act strong around him. She didn't want him suffering the true pain of losing someone at his age. Maddie idolised him and he loved her in return, she was the one he ran to when he couldn't get what he wanted from Sophie because he knew Maddie would give in. She was a big softie when it came to kids.

"Where's Daddy?" he asked, holding onto the banister as he climbed down the stairs. Sophie stood at the bottom, holding out his coat and bag for him to take.

"He had to go into work early," she pushed his hair out of his eyes. "He has lots of cars that need fixing."

It had become more frequent recently. Kevin was taking on more business than himself, Tyrone and Luke could handle but he couldn't see it, he preferred to do overtime than hire someone to deal with the admin building up. His failing attempt at trying to be a successful businessman, Sally would say.

"Sophie has no work?" he wondered.

"Nope," Sophie smiled at him. She held the door open for him, he ran under her arm and onto the street. "I can pick you up, too. Cool, huh?"

He nodded excitedly. He grabbed her hand as they headed off to school together.

* * *

Sophie pulled her coat closer to her body as she walked along the cobbles on her way back. The bitter air and the idea of a hot drink was prompting her to walk faster.

"Ay up, chicka!"

Sophie looked up at the sound of a similar voice. She smiled and waved shyly at Sean and Billy headed towards her as she crossed the road. They stopped her outside her house.

"Where'd you go last night?" Sean questioned. "You looked like you'd seen a ghost."

Sophie huffed. "Not quite."

"Then what was it?" Sean continued. Billy tried to stop his boyfriend causing Sophie further uncomforted but it was pointless.

"Nothing. I just—I wasn't comfortable. I'm sorry," she rubbed the back of her neck.

"Oh! You should have just said, you didn't have to come," Sean said kindly. "You seemed fine until you went to get the drinks, was everything okay?"

"Yeah," Sophie swallowed. She didn't want to tell him what happened. Not in the middle of an open street anyway. She was comfortable with Sean, he was one of the first people to make her feel accepted but she class them as friends. Just neighbours. "I came over funny, I still don't feel a hundred percent. Maybe I'm coming down with something."

"Okay, well, if—"

"Yeah…," Sophie interrupted Billy. "Guys, I have some stuff to do so if it's okay, I'm gonna go," she pointed behind her, towards her house.

"Yeah," Billy nodded, throwing his hands in his pockets. He had been studying her body language. "C'mon Sean."

Sophie half-smiled at Billy before walking away. Billy watched her whilst being pulled along by Sean, making sure she was okay.

* * *

Sophie could feel herself falling back into that dark place again. No matter how hard she tried not to think about it, she still couldn't get her head around everything that had happened over the past couple of months. It made her want to go back upstairs with a big bar of chocolate, get into her pyjamas and sit in bed watching re-runs of American sitcoms she'd seen a thousand times before.

She nearly considered it until suddenly a knock at the door. If it was Sean again, she wasn't interested. She wasn't in the mood to talk again. If it was Kevin, she was defiantly taking her couch-potato self up to her bedroom and locking herself in there until dinnertime.

With a lazy groan, she got up from the sofa, throwing the remote control onto the next cushion before going to answer.

It was Billy.

"Hiya," he said softly, his hands in his coat pockets. "Is it alright to come in? I want to talk to you, if that's okay?"

"Yeah," Sophie mumbled, swallowing and running a hand through her hair before the stepped to the side and let him in. "Do you want a cup of tea or owt?"

"That would be lovely. Thanks," he smiled.

Billy followed Sophie to the kitchen. He sat down at the table and pulled out a bible from his coat. Sophie caught it from over her shoulder while pouring boiling water into two separate mugs. She gulped. She knew what was coming. She could remember being in the same situation with her pastor when she was with Sian. What she really didn't need right now was another debate about what she was doing—or had done—was a sin. She had heard it all before. But he was unaware what she'd done, she reminded herself.

But then, Billy was gay himself, maybe this one was going to be different.

At least, that's what Sophie kept telling herself as she placed his and her cup of tea down on the wooden top.

"Are you here about the church?" she asked. "If you want me to be vicar, I'm not I can take the crown from Dawn French."

She laughed nervously. She wasn't sure why she just tried to crack a joke, it's not what she'd usually do. Nerves, she was blaming them.

"First of all, I'm not here to judge you," Billy started and Sophie breathed out a sigh of relief. Now that was out of the way, Sophie let her shoulders relax. "I'm gay myself, I would be a hypocrite if I told you what you were doing is forbidden in the Bible."

"What are you on about?" Sophie wrapped her hands around her cup. "I don't follow. Why are you here?"

"You seemed very distant with Sean earlier, I was just wondering if it had anything to do with your faith."

"No," Sophie shook her head. She breathed out. "Look, I'll be frank with you. Just don't tell Sean, okay?"

He nodded, promising.

"Do you remember what the girl at the bar last night? She had short hair, a tattoo sleeve?"

Billy nodded again. He had struck up a conversation with her at one point, he'd seen her before at a few events with Sean. "She's a regular on Canal Street. Ask Sean, he's known her for years."

"Well, I… had a thing with her," Sophie clenched her fists. "I say thing, I mean I slept with her then ran."

Billy's mouth dropped open. He did his best to cover up his shock. It was a far cry from the lie she'd told earlier. "Go on," he swallowed.

"Seeing her there made me feel guilty." she shrugged. "Like I've betrayed myself, and if that means I've betrayed God, too, then I feel even worse."

"I'm not sure I follow," Billy admitted.

"I don't do... _that_. I feel like," Sophie stopped to think. Her eyes wondered down to her lap before looking up again. "I feel as if I've committed a form of adultery. Not adultery, but like..."

Billy could see she couldn't find the right words. He tried to piece together what she was saying. He knew she wasn't in a relationship, there wasn't possibility she had committed adultery. What she was trying to say is she was finding it hard to piece together the events of that night.

"If you don't mind me asking, what are your views on sex before marriage?" he asked.

"I'm not against it. I did make the promise but one drunken night and...," Sophie looked down. She wasn't comfortable about her personal life. Not to the local victor, not to her closest friends. "Since then I had the same kind of relationships with Jenna and Maddie," she gulped at that name. It was still raw. "I've never regretted any of them it's just—"

"You've formed an emotional bond with each of them before taking the next step?"

Sophie nodded.

"And there's nothing wrong with that," Billy answered. "I'm not going to go all bible on you. And quote verses on you like Leviticus or Romans because it's Jesus you trust in, right?"

"Yeah," Sophie whispered.

"There's nothing he says that's anti-gay, you know that," Billy touched his hand to Sophie's. "One night stands aren't something to feel ashamed of, Sophie. They happen sometimes."

"I know. It's just it's never happened before. I feel dirty for it."

"Try not to feel that way," he said. "We've all been there. We all something we regretted but we can't let it bring us down. There are bigger issues in this world that God needs to sort out that aren't you having a bit of fun after a hard time. God puts temptation in our way to test us; maybe he's trying to tell you something. I saw the way that girl's face lit up when she saw you. I think she likes you. And when you're ready, I think you deserve some happiness."

"But Maddie—"

"Would be happy you're allowing yourself to be happy. You don't have to forget her. We all know she meant the world to you, but you can allow yourself to move on. She won't hate you for it, God won't hate you for it."

Sophie felt tears welling up in the corner of her eyes. She wiped them away before they could escape. "Thank you, Billy."

"Don't mention it," he hummed then looked down at his watch. "I should be going. If you ever need to talk, I'm here for you whenever."

Sophie nodded slowly. "Thank you."

She pushed herself up from the table, Billy did the same, and she walked over to him and elope him into a hug. She felt she needed it. She liked she wasn't the only modern day Christian living on the street. It surprised her she had spoken to him earlier but the right moment never came about, she beckoned.

 **I am honestly surprised there's hardly any scenes between Billy and Sophie. I'm waiting on a storyline they have together that involves their** **religion but who knows, it probably wouldn't be exciting but the idea of the two christian gays taking down a homophobic church sounds pretty cool. Saw something like it in the news the other day.**

 **I'm having Sophie beat herself up over a one night stand because I know she would do it. I wanted to see this kind of reaction after Maddie died but she got zero screen time and no story about coming to terms with everyone unlike everyone else involved. Yes, she's grown up a lot and she dealt with everything brilliant but I would have loved to see her go off the rails a little bit. Out of anger, the unexpected, I don't know.**


	8. Chapter 7

**Let's learn** **about Louise!**

* * *

Louise Kane made the decision to move to Manchester when she was a mere eighteen years old. It was a tough decision to make and one that caused her family much upset when she told them only months after finishing college but it was the best she had ever made. She explained how there were teenagers who left home at sixteen. Heck some moved aboard. She only moved four hours away up north.

Throughout college, Louise worked tirelessly juggling coursework with a part-time job at a local cafe and driving lessons. Luckily, she took to driving like a duck to water. She had spent years watching her parents cruise and asking and questioning them about what they were doing so when she finally got behind the wheel, she knew what she was doing and sailed through her lessons with only a few minor hiccups. It took her two attempts to pass her test, though. A stupid roundabout that had a stupid corner that was hard to see round. A lorry came out of nowhere just as she started moving forward; thinking it was clear and safe to go, causing her instructor to slam down on the brake—instant fail. Louise avoided that corner since.

She was never the golden pupil at school but she worked hard enough to get fair, decent grades. Since she was a little girl, Louise had a passion for dance and music. She'd never competed in anything serious—she was too shy of rejection or being told she wasn't good enough. It was more of a hobby than anything. So when it came to choosing a course at college, she had to choose between her two loves. It was like a mother picking her favourite child but after years of going to discos and parties, she chose to study music. She knew she was never going to be a music producer or become the female David Guetta but it gave her a sense of freedom. She could remix tapes, make her own and listen to people sing for a qualification and receive constructive criticism unlike if she had chosen dance, she would have felt like she was the worst there and that all the other girls were judging her, who were clearly better and fitter, thinner, looking like they had been doing it for years.

As a child she was what doctors would class as overweight. Not obese but not the healthy weight for her age, either. It caused years of bullying which caused her to comfort eat, making her bigger and shy, avoiding all social interaction and she was suffered from it throughout primary school and secondary school. Changing rooms were her biggest fear and PE was her least favourite subject. Not to mention by the time she was in year eight there were rumours flying about that she fancied girls, being in a small area with at least twenty other girls who all identified as heterosexual didn't help in the slightest. After constant whispering and sniggering from the other girls about her weight when she got changed in a corner of the room, she decided to change in the toilets every lesson. So when the rumours started, Louise never made it to the door before her supposed classmates started picking on her.

"Is that why you get changed in there then? Not only because you're fat but because you're a dyke, too? You like to sit in the corner and stare at us while we get changed? Perv," they would say, surrounding her in a circle. Always, Louise would tear up and push past them and take her stuff into the toilet and change slowly then sit in the corner stall, reading a book until the teacher came in to start the lesson. She would have stayed in the bathroom until Mrs Robinson came in if she could but it was against the rules in case there was a fire. There was only ten minutes in the hour period to change as well. She read a book so the girls didn't think she was looking at them and she never did, not that they believed her.

Aged twelve and self esteem issues were what got the better of her doing her passion for the rest of her life.

Louise had had enough of it by the time she was sixteen so leaving school and starting college had been a breath of fresh air. Those six weeks off in the summer, she changed her ways. She had come out to her parents. They were more supportive and loving than she ever imagined. Her whole family were, she had never felt more accepted. It inspired her to do something about her weight. She didn't want to make herself look like those bullies, just a healthier weight. She started with her diet. She signed up to a gym and they gave her advice on how to improve and in those six weeks, she saw it. She began going to the gym at least three times a week. It went down to only one day a week when she started college but she still saw a change happen and after six months of the routine, she was beyond happy with the results.

It gave her a new found confidence. The confidence to get a girlfriend and go places she never had before. It was going to Manchester Pride that following summer that gave her the idea that she one day would move away from the capital to the northern city. It also got her, her first tattoo. The equal sign, to represent pride. She saw a series of photographs online of paint splattered tattoos and decided it was that design using rainbow colours that she wanted for it on her rib cage, to the side of her heart. She loved it.

With no desire to go to University, she packed her bags and went. The relationship with her first girlfriend was over and she wanted a fresh start somewhere new. It was the best decision she ever made and still, three years later, she didn't regret a thing. It also gave her the idea behind her second tattoo—a quote on the inside of her forearm. It read "she believe she could... so she did," by R.S Grey; along with three little birds, in reference to the Bob Marley song. His lyrics got her through the darkest days and she found the symbols a brilliant touch to her collection.

She found a job quickly in _Hurricanes_ , a small gay bar just off Princess Court in Canal Street, home of the gays, according to history. The job gave her the chance to be around three things she loved: music, dance and girls. She also met the man who would be her best friend for life, Tyler. He was bubbly, fun, camp as you like and an all around good person with a heart of gold. He took Louise under his wing when she was first employed and now, they live together in a flat just around the corner to work.

Life couldn't be any better for Louise Kane.

As usual on her days off, Louise caught up with any housework that had been dismissed. There was a long list of pros about having your own place but there was also a list of cons, cleaning up was one of them. All that stuff as a child, her parents did for her was now her job. It was like being at Uni, just without the learning and the stress.

Louise let out a deep breath as she pushed the dishwater door closed. She stood with her hands on her hips as she inspected the kitchen. Clean. Just how she liked it.

"Hiya!" a voice sounded through the flat. Tyler, after throwing his coat over the arm of their sofa and putting his keys on the coffee table, walked into the kitchen.

"Oh, you would not _believe_ the amount of cute guys who walked into the bar as I left. I'm fuming," Tyler waved his hands in front of his face. "I envy Scott and Dustin who get to serve those fine pieces of meat tonight. And can you believe it, it's Theme Night Thursday and there's going to be drag queens! Lou, we're missing the drag queens!"

Louise laughed as Tyler jumped in a annoyance, whining. "Hi, Tyler. My day's been great, cleaning up your mess. Thank you for asking."

"Oh, yeah," Tyler realised the state he'd left their place in this morning, his eyes avoiding all contact with her and rubbing the back of his neck. "I forgot about that, sorry."

"Don't worry about it, it gave me something to do," she said. "What do you want to do tonight then?"

"We could order in a pizza," he wiggled his eyebrows.

Louise shook her head. "No."

"Oh, why not?" Tyler whined again. "Are you seriously keeping up this health thing for as long as possible?"

"Yes! I'm only having bad food once a month. We had pizza last week," Louise reminded him. "And I've been avoiding the gym lately; I don't want to get behind now when I only have six months to go until I've stuck at it for five years. Then we'll eat all the bad food we want, in moderation."

"Fine!" Tyler accepted it. He was so proud of his best friend, he couldn't believe how committed she was. "We'll cook something then."

"And watch _RuPaul_ to make you feel better," Louise smiled. Walking over to him, she tapped him lightly on the cheek. "I love you, gay-pal."

"I love you, too, lezzy bezzy."

Louise threw her head back laughing as she went into their living room. She didn't even think their nicknames for each other where at all original but still made her chuckle as much as it did when they first said it to each other.

"Hey, speaking of lezzies," Tyler skipped in behind her. "Who was that girl I saw you talking to the other night who I think it is?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Louise perched herself on the sofa, throwing Tyler's coat at him when she was sat. There was a coat hanger at the door, why did he need to take off in the front room? He didn't. He gave her a look to say he was going to hang it up...later. "If you're talking about who I think you are, then yep," she smirked.

"Get in there, girl!" he clapped his hands together excitedly. "How did you manage to pull her? She was well hot!"

"I don't know, but oh my God, Tyler. She was so amazing."

Since moving to Manchester and working at _Hurricanes_ , Louise with her confidence, got her what she always dreamed of. She was always careful and smart about the girls she saw and brought home. She had rules and boundaries that she never broke.

There have been girls who have waited for her to finish her shift to get to know her and there have been girls she's been with who she's got to know and loved and there have been girls who she's only known for the night. Sophie Webster was one of the few girls she wanted to know beyond that.

Louise went on to tell Tyler all about their night together. They were in an open and honest friendship. Tyler had told her from day one if ever there was a time she needed advice, he was there for her. They were both twenty-one, but Tyler had grown up with gay role models and had more experience than Ali so he loved giving her any information she needed.

"She's from Weatherfield, Ty," Louise mentioned.

"What, the same place as Sean?" Tyler asked. He had known Sean Tully since he was eighteen; they'd seen each other in all the gay bars in Manchester.

"Yeah," she nodded.

"You should give him a call, meet up with in the Rovers or something."

* * *

 **Also, thanks for the reviews so far! Much appreciated! 3**


	9. Chapter 8

And that was exactly what she did that night. She called him; asking when he was free next and Sean suggested she come to Weatherfield and have a few drinks. Get to know Billy, his new beau, as well. It had been a while since they had a real catch up.

"Here we go, gays—gang," Sean chuckled, shaking his head before placing the drinks he ordered on the table in the booth.

Louise covered her face in embarrassment. "That is the oldest joke in the book."

Sean scoffed. "What book?"

He sat down next to Billy then took a slip of his pint. They agreed to meet for lunch in the pub. It was the home of Coronation Street after all.

"So, how you two been?" Ali asked.

"Good," Sean said. "Just working as you do."

"I only moved here recently so still settling into a new church," Billy replied.

"Hearing that, Sean," Louise looked at him. "I would not think you two would go together, you're so different but it must work?"

"We said the same thing to each other," Billy rubbed his chin. "But yeah, it works."

"Opposites attract sometimes, I guess," Sean laughed.

"Sometimes." Louise shrugged her shoulders, smiling. "So what brought you guys to _Hurricane_ _s_ the other night?"

She needed a way to move the conversation onto Sophie. She loved hearing about how they were doing but it wasn't her mission.

"Fancied a night out, I suppose," Billy answered.

Sean nodded. "And our friend isn't very in touch with us queens; we wanted to show her the ropes."

"The girl you were with the other night?" Louise asked. Her eyes darted down to the glass in her hand; she ran her finger around the ring of it.

"Yeah. Sophie," Sean said. "She lives just around the corner."

"Do you know her or something?" Billy wondered.

Louise tilted her head. "I think I've seen her about," she smirked.

"You must of. She saw you and wanted to leave. What did you do to her?" Sean said mockingly.

"Nothing," Louise raised her eyebrows. "How do you know it was my fault?"

"I talked to her; she says it has nothing to do with her being a Christian," Billy shrugged.

"You asked her if it was about religion. There's nothing in the bible about 'thou shall not go to a nightclub'," Sean rolled his eyes. Like Louise, he was an atheist.

Louise laughed. From the amount of times the brunette used the Lord's name in vain during the night they were together, she never would have taken Sophie for the religious type.

Billy starched the back of his neck. "I know, I just thought, maybe..."

"Nah," Sean disagreed, lifting his glass to his lips. "She's had bad experiences with alcohol in the past; I think that's why she doesn't go out much."

Louise narrowed her eyes then bit her lip. "Like what?"

"She had this girlfriend, Sian, who went on holiday. So her friend—if you could call her that—took her to a club to feel better. Ended up spiking her drink, and kissed her. That moment on, she tried to manipulate our Soph."

Billy nodded over at Alison who didn't quite believe it. "And what was that story she told us about a church?"

"Oh yeah! She got in an argument with that Sian," Sean stated the obvious. "Long story short: she got drunk and ended up on the roof of a church. Tried to get down, fell. Proper bad."

"Does she not drink then?" Louise had to ask. She felt her body go numb. She didn't want to think she had taken advantage of someone who was venerable or too drunk to get consent, it was one of her rules.

"She had a few in here before," Sean said. "I wouldn't say she's against it, just doesn't go over the units too often."

It didn't exactly ease Louise's mind.

"Do you know where I can find her?" she breathed out. "I need to talk to her about something."

"I think she's working tonight so she'll be in the corner shop at the end of the road," Billy pointed out.

* * *

Louise finished up her lunch with Sean and Billy and by then it was getting late. Louise had to be at _Hurricanes_ tonight. She said goodbye to the guys with a hug.

She walked towards her car, stopping with her hand on the door handle. She looked behind her and saw the corner shop, _D & S Alahan_ _'_ _s_. The place she needed.

She still had time before she needed to get back to Canal Street.

Louise moved away from her car. She adjusted her hair through the window and straightens her shirt before stepping towards the shop.

She opened the door slowly. The bell above rang and Louise stepped in, keeping her head down. She didn't look up, instead she went down to see the contents this lot held. Sophie was preoccupied by the magazine in front of her.

Louise figured if she was going to make this as much of as anti-awkward moment possible, she was going to need something to take to the till, then she saw a fridge that held soft drinks. _Perfect_.

Sophie felt a shadow over her. She moved her magazine to one side and turned her attention to the till. "Is that all?"

"Yes."

Sophie scanned the item then looked up to meet the eyes of the customer. "That'll be eighty—what are you doing here?"

"It's nice to see you again, too. Buying a drink, if that's alright," Louise smiled. "Eighty, what? Pounds? This place is a rip off."

"Pence," Sophie narrowed her eyes then smiled smugly.

"Better," Louise put her hand in her pocket and pulled out a one pound coin, she put it on the counter.

Sophie picked it up and put it in the till before taking out a twenty pence piece to give back to her. "So what are you doing here?"

Louise tapped her knuckle on the charity money box. Sophie took the hint and put the change in there for her. "Like I said, I'm thirsty."

"So you came to Weatherfield for that? There's a pub at the end of the road."

"I know. I was in there earlier having lunch with the only gays in the village, Sean and Billy."

"You missed out Todd," Sophie looked away shyly.

"Sorry, don't know him," Louise put her hands in her jean pockets. "Did I miss out anyone else?"

"Umm," Sophie swallowed. She wasn't sure why she was nervous, she never had a problem with admitting her sexuality before. Maybe it was because the girl in front of right now, she'd only met a couple of days ago, and already had sex with her yet she knew nothing about her, something Sophie Webster had never done before.

"Sorry. I didn't come here to embarrass you." Louise spoke up. "I came to see Sean and Billy. But if you do come to the club again," she pulled out a card from her pocket and put it on the counter. She pushed it towards the brunette with two fingers. Sophie picked it up, "the first drink is on me."

"Do you own _Hurricane_ _s_ or something?" Sophie asked with the card in her hand. It was a business card.

"No," Louise shook her head. "My manager gives them out, promotional reasons. Look on the back."

She pushed herself away from the counter, her arms falling by her side and she started walking backwards. "See you around, Sophie."

Sophie looked up, shocked. She sat with the card, frozen, in her hand and Louise had left the shop. Sophie was confused.

She turned the card over. On the back was a number and address. Sophie was gobsmacked. She couldn't understand what this girl wanted from her but she wanted to found out.


	10. Chapter 9

**Long time no see. Life has been in charge recently. Thanks to Sophie (and Maddie) making it all possible. Two chapters at once *thumbs up***

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

In between customers, Sophie thought about what had happened yesterday. Every time she told a customer to have a good day before they left the little shop, she would sit down on the stall behind the counter and pull out her phone from her pocket and tap the dark screen like it would write the words for her before putting it away again and look at the piece of crumbled paper that held all means of contact with Louise Kane.

There were pros and cons about not working in the afternoon. A pro was that Sophie could change into comfy clothes and not have to worry about anyone seeing her, nor did she have to deal with difficult costumers for a second longer. A con was she spent more time alone with her thoughts. And going by past experiences, that was never a good thing.

She sat quietly in her front room, looking at the family photos around the room as she tapped her thumbs nervously on the side of her phone, narrowly avoiding one or two that sat on a cabinet. She kept looking back at the front door, there was strange sense in her body that her dad was going to walk in any minute and catch her. Then she realised she wasn't going anything bad—she wasn't doing anything at all really.

Sophie pondered on how she should write the message. Her thumbs hovered over the possible sentences she could form if her brain had the courage to actually do it. She wanted to sound causal. She didn't want to sound mean. That's the problem with texting, Sophie realised. The person on the other side can't see your face or hear the tone of your voice, what you're written could be read in a different way to intended. Sure _emojis_ helped but she didn't want to have to use them because she lacked in using the right words.

 _Hi, Lou_ , she typed.

 _Thanks for the other night..._

No. That sounded like it was planned and that she enjoyed it—well, that last part wasn't a lie, but she couldn't let Louise know that. Not yet. Then she realised, she didn't even have to mention that night. This message was about Louise offering her a free drink.

She deleted her previous sentence and started again.

 _Thanks for the invitation but drinking isn't really my thing._

 _Sophie x—_

No, scrap the kiss on the end. Casual, remember?

She reread her text before, with a shaking hand, hit send. There was no going back now.

Instantly, she locked her phone and threw it down beside her. That way she couldn't see when the other girl was writing back.

Two minutes later, her phone vibrated.

 _Okay. What is your thing, then, Sophie?_

 _Lou_

Sophie nervously bit her lip. Now she had to reply. She didn't think that far ahead.

 _Something more laid back. I like watching films_ , she wrote back.

 _Me, too but it's not fun! What about bowling?_

 _Yeah..._ , Sophie wasn't sure what else to say.

 _Perfect! I'll be round in ten. X_

Sophie dropped her phone in her lap. _What?_ She thought. All colour on her face had drained and she stared blankly ahead at the front opposite before glancing down at her outfit. She wasn't dressed to go out somewhere public. Lazy day or day off, Sophie happily spend it in jumpers and jeans—or joggers, depending on her mood, paired with her favourite pair of slippers that were the heads of a cow.

She darted towards the stairs and to her bedroom. She needed to make herself look presentable and she only had ten minutes. It was when she got to her door that she remembered Louise had put a kiss on the end of her text and Sophie cursed silently under her breath.

* * *

Louise came round and picked Sophie up in the time she had said and they went to the nearest leisure centre. Sophie left a note for her Dad on the table to say she was out in case he wondered where she was. Although as she thought about it, she didn't understand why. She was twenty-one now, she didn't need to tell her parents about where she was going, but after the other night, she did it just in case.

The centre was quiet for the time of day but neither of them minded because it meant they didn't have to worry about anyone around and they could have as many games as they wanted. Typical music played like _Eye of the Tiger_ to motivate players and anything that was in the music charts as well as music for kids. The lanes were lit different colours and although it had been a while since Sophie had played the game, it always remembered her of the birthday parties she'd been to when she was little.

"So, when was the last time you went bowling, Webster?" Louise asked as she typed their names to the screen above them.

Sophie finished re-tying her shoelaces on the ugly bowling shoes the activity made everyone wear before answering. "I don't remember actually."

"Not even on the _Wii_?"

"No," Sophie shook her head.

Louise double checked she wrote their names in correctly before hitting enter, and then she walked over to Sophie and gave the brunette a helping hand standing up.

"Well, prepare to get your butt kicked," she smirked playfully. "My family love bowling. We used to play regularly in the summer holidays when I was younger. Don't worry, though, I'll go easy on you."

Sophie laughed nervously. Still, she smiled as Louise turned to pick up a ball. She wasn't sure if the laughter was due to anxiety or if Louise standing so close to her made her feel something she was trying to avoid.

Louise lined up to bowl. Happy with her position, she took a few steps forward towards the line before pulling her arm back and letting the ball go as it came forward again.

Sophie watched as the ball rolled down the lane at high speed. It hit down the pins one by one and Sophie's face turned to shook as Louise scored the perfect strike on her first go.

Louise didn't say anything. She turned to sit down but not before shooting Sophie a wink. "Your turn."

Sophie knew it was only a friendly game but if there was any way she was going to impress her new friend, bowling was not going to be the thing to do it.

* * *

Sophie stood with her ball to her chest. She took a quick glance up at the scoreboard and sighed.

"Come on, Sophie! This is your last chance to redeem yourself," Louise chanted. "You can do it!"

 _There's a fat chance of that happening_ , Sophie thought. She needed to get eight pins down for a spare. Taking a step back before hand, she bowled her final ball.

Steadily, it rolled down. It was like a magnet but, like always, as the ball approached the middle of the lane, it began to drift to a side. Resulting in knocking down two pins before the ball disappeared behind the bar.

By the end of their first game it was clear who the winner was. Sophie was grateful Louise had allowed her to have the bars up or she would have got a gutter ball on her every go or she would be left embarrassed and Louise wouldn't want to know her anymore.

If there was anything Louise had learned about Sophie after today it was that sport isn't her thing.

Sophie slowly turned to see Louise sat down smug, knowing what was coming next.

Louise's face turned into a grin. She bit down on her tongue to stop herself from laughing. She looked Sophie up and down. The brunette's body language showed her defeat and Louise stood to be beside her.

"Hey, there's always game two," she said as she pulled Sophie into a side hug. "Let's take a break. Didn't we agree the loser buys the drinks?"

Sophie rolled her eyes. They headed towards the mini bar in the corner of the bowling centre.

There was something about walking with Louise's arm around her waist that Sophie didn't want to lose. It felt comfortable. It made her feel more comfortable about being out.

* * *

"So if you don't like clubbing, what brought you to _Hurricanes_?"

Louise and Sophie had ordered their drinks and where sat in a booth. They had talked about Sophie's bowling technique and now, Louise wanted to know more about the shy companion she had picked up.

"It was my birthday. My friends wanted me to do something different," Sophie shrugged. She kept her eyes on her beverage, stirring the ice around with her straw.

"It was your birthday? Happy birthday!" Louise clapped once. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-one," Sophie mumbled.

"Same age as me," Louise gasped. "Do you not normally do much for your birthday?"

"No," Sophie shook her head. "It's usually a small get together at home. I like it that way."

"Understandable," Louise smiled. She wasn't going to tell Sophie, but she liked quiet birthdays, too. Something always went wrong when there were lots of people about and with the best night for birthdays being a weekend and there were a lot of young adults going out to clubs to get wasted or laid, she understood why Sophie would prefer to stay in. Louise had seen it a lot at _Hurricanes_.

"You don't regret coming to where I work, though, do you?"

"No," Sophie bit her lip. "I had fun."

Louise wasn't sure what part of the night Sophie was talking about but she smiled. "Me, too."

Sophie's knee shook nervously under the table. She tapped her fingertips against her glass as she braced herself. "I've had fun today."

"Would you come out somewhere with me again?" Louise asked.

Sophie nodded.

"It's a date then."


	11. Chapter 10

**2/2**

* * *

Sophie Webster wasn't sure if she wanted to be in a relationship with Louise Kane but she did know that she wanted to wake up wrapped in the brunette's arms. She knew she wanted the benefits that came up with a relationship... just without the label. Was that possible? Sophie didn't know. The feeling was out of body for her. Sophie was used to the normal steps into a relationship alongside a little controversy, not debating whether or not the situation was right for her.

Louise isn't a bad person, above everything Sophie was learning that, and it confused her feelings even more. She didn't understand what was holding her back.

Maybe it was the fear everything would be different because they wouldn't be drunk the next time. It was like Sophie's first time with Sian, her first girlfriend. Getting hammered at a bus stop then going home before midnight so they didn't miss seeing in the New Year which resulted in being sent upstairs wasn't suppose to end in them having sex but it did, and the next day, Sophie didn't know where she stood with Sian and thought she had to have alcohol in her system for it to happen again.

Maybe she was still grieving from the memories of the fire. The day, despite it was almost a year since it happened, was still raw in her memory. The flames, the sound of screams, the moment her future was taken away from her…

She could still feel Maddie's presence at night, as she lay alone in their bed. Maybe she still felt the urge to be held and told everything was going to be okay.

But it was also that guilt of moving on so soon since Maddie's death that was holding Sophie back. That unfaithful night shouldn't have happened, she shouldn't have let Sinead and Steph take her out. She should have stayed in and had a quiet birthday at home like she usually did.

It was what made her and Louise different.

From what Sophie had gathered from yesterday was Louise liked to go out, socialise in groups. Whereas Sophie stayed to herself and kept to one group of friends she could rely on. Louise was a confident speaker, Sophie wasn't. She was shy. Despite in previous she went for the chase, she was never confident in her actions and backed off eventually. Whereas Louise wanted to chase her, keep talking, get to know her more out of the most unlikely of circumstances and Sophie wasn't use to it. She didn't know how to behave in return. She couldn't flirt to save her life so if Louise was expecting her to be feisty, she was wrong. Sophie was a feisty one, there was no doubting that. It was a similarity between the two young women but they had different ratios of it. Right now, Sophie saw more differences between them oppose to similarities and she wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

Whether or not Sophie agreed to go out with Louise again the next day, she would be overanalysing the situation so she wasn't going to beat herself over it as she prepared for the day.

Counting her steps as she walked the length of the house while waiting for Louise to pick her up, Sophie tried to calm her nerves. She was just scared that, although they had fun yesterday, she was going to say or do something stupid and Louise wouldn't want to see her again.

She didn't even know what they were doing. Louise just told Sophie to be ready for ten-thirty and they'll drive until they find somewhere to spend the day.

Sophie's heart stopped beating when she heard the sound of a car horn outside. She peaked out the curtain to make sure it was Louise. She checked she had everything she needed in her bag for a third time before leaving the house.

"Hey," Sophie said quickly when she got in the car, briefly smiling at Louise.

"Hey," Louise replied much more eager than her companion. "You ready to go?"

"Yep." Sophie nodded. "Where are we going exactly?"

Louise pursued her lips. "Wherever the road takes us. Just kidding, I've got a few ideas."

* * *

Not long into their journey Louise asked Sophie if she had been to Bakewell before. When Sophie said no, Louise took the next turning towards the town.

Louise had spent many breaks in the town since her move to Manchester. It was such a beautiful area full of history.

She knew she couldn't take Sophie too far away from Manchester under such short notice but it was nice to get out every once in a while and Bakewell was the perfect location; not far from home to go to for an afternoon.

They agreed to go for a sightseeing walk after finding a spot for lunch. Louise asked Sophie if she liked Bakewell Tarts, and, of course—being from Manchester—she liked them. It was a known fact in Weatherfield if you went into _Roy's Rolls_ after one of the _Underworld_ ladies had been in for a cake run, it was hit and hope there was one spare. Knowing that information, Louise made sure they found a cafe that was home to the original Bakewell Tart—which proved harder than expected when nearly every window they passed made the claim.

Once they found somewhere suitable, they grabbed a table. A waitress came over after a short while and gave them a menu each before taking a drinks order, then left them to make a decision.

Louise couldn't help but admire the woman's beauty as she walked away. It didn't go unnoticed by Sophie who felt a strange wave of jealousy when Louise made no effort to hide her sudden attraction. But it wasn't for the reason she knew it should have been. Admittedly, Sophie had clocked the waitress' appearance. She was cute. A natural beauty and wasn't helped by her waitress' outfit, hair tied in a bun and softly-soften voice.

"How are you so comfortable doing that?" Sophie asked, pointing behind her as the subject of her question walked away.

"Better question," Louise leaned towards Sophie across the table. "Why aren't _you_ comfortable doing that?"

"I don't know," Sophie shrugged. "I see she's attractive but wouldn't go and ask her out."

"Why not?"

Sophie took a sip from her Coke before stirring the ice with her straw. "Incase she's straight!"

"You don't know unless you try," Louise fixed her eyes on Sophie's movements. "And so what, if she's not interested; you move on."

"Why don't you try and ask her out when she comes back then?" Sophie asked.

"Because I'm with you," Louise nodded in her direction. "I invited you out to lunch. It would be rude of me to."

"But we're not together or on a date," Sophie pulled on sleeve ends of her coat to cover her hands. "What's holding you back?"

"I don't want to," Louise said softly. "I want to talk to you."

Sophie tried to hide her smile. "Fair enough."

"You approached me remember?"

"Yeah, because you staring at me," Sophie's eyes widened.

"Oh, excuse me!" Louise leaned back in her chair, hand over her heart like she was offered by what the brunette opposite had said. "I'll apologise, shall I? You didn't have to come over. No one told you to."

"Actually, my friends did encourage me," Sophie responded.

"Should I thank them?" Louise cocked an eyebrow.

"Not yet."

"We need to become friends before you wonder if you did the right thing?"

"Yep."

Sophie sucked a breathe in, just about to ask Louise a question but she was interrupted by the waitress reappearing. She placed their drinks down in front of them and asked if they were ready to order. Both the young ladies blushed in embarrassment, realising they hadn't looked at the menu since they'd last seen the waitress. They apologised then skimmed over the words before giving their order. She wrote it down before taking the menus off them. Louise smiled at her and Sophie caught her breath. She waited for Louise to say something, take her chance but it never came. The waitress smiled back politely and left them to continue talking.

Louise looked at Sophie smugly. "Told you I wouldn't."

Sophie blushed for a second time. She bit her lip. She didn't want to talk about it. It wasn't a test, it wasn't important. Sophie made a judgement and got it wrong. Lesson learned.

"Why did you tell me random facts that night?" she asked instead. It was easier to change the subject.

"I wanted to break the ice, as they say. I really did think you were cute," Louise smiled before her eyes widened suddenly. "You are cute. I wanted to know you. I still do."

"Stop," Sophie hid her face in her hands. She didn't do well with compliments.

"Why? You don't believe it?" Sophie shook her head and Louise frowned. "You're beautiful. I think a lot of girls would be envious of me right now."

"Stop," Sophie shook her head. She'd heard it all before but she didn't want to believe it. She didn't hate herself. It was simply, she didn't know how to respond to kind words.

"No. I'll keep saying it," Louise reached for the brunette's hand. "I won't believe you're not confident, Sophie, not after what happened on your birth—"

"Okay. Stop! Seriously," Sophie pulled the pixie-cut's hand away. "We're in public."

"Okay. Sorry," Louise held her hands up. "Teaches you to think I'd chat up the waitress."

"And I'm sorry for that."

"So, we're even now then?" Sophie whispered. "Should we start over?"

"Sure," Louise giggled. "I think we know each other's name pretty well already but, uh, hi. I'm Louise."

Sophie chuckled, shaking Louise's extended hand. "Sophie."

Louise grinned. "Nice to meet you."

* * *

Lunch was nice. Sophie had an original Bakewell Tart. She didn't taste a difference from a Mr Kipling but it was an experience all in all. She enjoyed the sightseeing more. Getting out and seeing a different Northern area was so freeing. Louise told her stories and they walked peacefully together, enjoying the sights.

Unfortunately they eventually had to go back to Manchester. Duty called, but it was nice while it lasted and they let like they knew each other a little better. Maybe now Sophie could let down of the sickening feeling in a stomach. There was no harm is befriending Louise at least.

"What do you mean you don't like Jeremy Kyle? His show is my Monday motivational wake up call," Louise scoffed as she turned into Weatherfield.

"My family could be the show," Sophie said sternly. She wasn't joking.

"Why?" Louise's eyes widen. She pulled up outside No.13. "Don't they have any teeth?"

"No!" Sophie tried to laugh it off. "They have a history of stories he would love."

"I doubt it," Louise mused. "Have you seen some of the stories he covers? Can't be that bad."

"Trust me. You don't want to know," Sophie breathed out. "Anyway, thanks. For today."

"You're welcome," Louise smiled gratefully. There had been something she had been wanting to ask Sophie since they left Bakewell. Since today went so well and she felt she was heading in the right direction with the brunette, she was itching to find the right moment. "You're most welcome. You know Christmas is in a fortnight. What are your—"

"No."

Louise was taken back by Sophie sudden change of tone. "You don't know what I was going to say—"

"No."

"Will you just—"

"No."

Sophie sighed, realising how heartless she was sounded. "I'm sorry. No, it's not your fault. It's just… Christmas is important to me this year. I can't…"

"Well," Louise asked nervously. "What about Christmas Eve? I only want to meet up for a drink."

"No," Sophie shook her head. "I'm sorry. I really can't."

She could feel a lump forming in her throat. She didn't want Louise to see her cry so, again, she apologised and got out the car.

"Can I at least you text you?" Louise asked.

Sophie ignored it. Regretfully, she closed the door forcefully. It slammed behind her. She winced at the noise before moving towards her house, not stopping to look back at the confused girl she'd left behind.

Louise didn't think and stop about it. She was frustrated. She shook her head in disbelief before starting her car up again and speeding off before Sophie closed a second door on her.


End file.
